'Twos' competition

[doublebogey7]

Like my place, not a massive difference

What, a lower handicap player is twice as likely to score a 2 as a higher handicap player, hardly equal though is it. Thas without considering the difference between a scratch player and a 28 handicapper.

Having said that as long as entry is a choice then I dont see how a two's pot is unfair.

 

[Voyager EMH]

I think I have profited by over £50 a year for a lot of years by way of twos. This is other members losses. Should I feel guilty?
It is a voluntary £1, no divisions, HIO counts as 2-twos, you can stake £2, £3 or £4 if you wish to increase your payout x2, x3 or x4.

Yep, the more skilful golfers win the most money. Others do win, but with the assistance of good luck or a rarer good shot.

Much like life in general, I find, where the less talented and less fortunate do not receive an equal amount of income yet work just as hard, in most cases.
Come up with a perfect 21st century solution for that, please, and we might achieve world peace!

 

[bobmac]

Did I read right that some clubs have different divisions for the two's pot?
I've never heard that before.
What next, different divisions for longest drive?
Different divisions for a scratch cup?
Different divisions for nearest the pin?

 

[Voyager EMH]

I played in a Seniors open recently where there was a different hole for longest drive for the three handicap divisions. Never seen that before. Surely for a seniors open, three age groups, rather than handicap groups, would have been more appropriate?

 

[need_my_wedge]

Nett twos!! Brilliant!! then that would be another competition the plus handicappers would be donating too!!

That nearly ended up with tea spat all over the desk!!

There is a gang at ours that play their own net 2's comp in the swindle. Not sure if they still do it, or the actual rules, think each person in the game paid £1 for every 2 to every one that had one. Could be a costly outing and best to avoid

 

[chrisd]

I don't get what you think could be unfair about the twos? You can choose to enter for it or not - .

Not at mine. Since Covid and the change to online booking the 2's, and sweep, have been automatically taken from members cards. We are being told that this should be optional some time in September, some 18 months after it was introduced.

I rarely used to enter the 2's as at £2 a time I didnt often get a 2, and I could buy pro v's much cheaper than the pro sells them into the sweep for. However, I did get two 2's in consecutive comps recently and one was worth 9 balls, as there was a rollover, and the next was 3 balls - both times I holed out with chips from off the green!

 

[rksquire]

I find the idea that lower handicappers are more likely to get 2's interesting, as par 3's are the easiest holes for a higher handicapper to play, and everyone has the chance of a lucky putt dropping.

As such I looked at the last 3 competitions played at my club to see the breakdown of 2's:

24 by double figure handicappers
23 by single figure handicappers
3 by + handicappers

So pretty evenly mixed at my club based on that

I think easiest holes to play for a high handicapper depends on their strengths - when I started, driving was my strength so I found par 5s or shortish par 4s easiest.

But in relation to your breakdown, the numbers on their own aren't comparable - they need the additional reference of how many in each in category this was from.... for example, we have a single plus handicapper and he's in the 2s money basically every other week; for example, out of 210ish registered players, 10% are single figure, less than 1% are plus and the remaining 90% are double figure. Last week there were 5 2s - 2 of which were by the plus handicapper, 2 by single figures and 1 by double; the previous week there 19 2s - 6 of which were by single figures, 13 by double; the week before there were 8 2s - 1 by the plus, 3 by single and 4 by double. It would seem course set-up plays a role but in any event 10% of registrants (single figures) make up more than 10% of the 2s winners every week. We have 2 200+ par 3s (very hard), 1 at 120, and 2 in the 145 to 165 bracket so plenty of opportunity.

 

[IanM]

Depends on the course too. Was a member at Bowood for 10 years. Two par 3s well over 200 yards, one up a steep hill to a blind green with a big step in it and the other one, a more realistic chance of a birdie.

Now I am at Newport where two of the five par 3s are only a short iron. the other three, less easy but easier than the others. Medal at the weekend had twenty-one "2s" in a field of 125 players.

 

[Crazyface]

Our seniors have, this year, changed to paying ten quid to everyone who gets one. Much better idea. This means that the whole pot isn't taken....I assume. They also pay out prizes down to 6th place. First prize don't get much more than £30.

 

[RobertB]

can add some interesting recent stats to this - first up, IMHO twos is twos ... pay and play - accept your chances we're £2 and pots splits, hole in 1 takes 1/2 pot.

anyway - Saturday Captains day - very good weather - greens excellent - we've four par 3s they played approx. 158, 165, 181 & 130 - everyone off same tee. As well as overall prize there was Categories I (up to 5.4) II (5.5-12.4) III (12.5-20.4) & IV (20.5 - 28.0) so 2's was easily brojken down to extract info

So assuming everyone played all 18 i.e. the four par 3s (there was no 2 on a Par 4)

Cat 1 10 2s / 25 players - so 10/100 holes - 10% conversion rate
Cat 2 14 2s / 77 players - so 14/308 holes - 4.5% conversion rate
Cat 3 16 2s / 113 players - so 16/452 holes - 3.4% conversion rate
Cat 4 2 2s / 45 players - so 2/180 holes - 1.1% conversion rate

That's a good sample size - so lesson is improve (there was only 1 of ten or so plus players entered) if you're concerned about gambling you £2...

 

[CountLippe]

We split our 2's equally for board comps and 2 divisions for non majors (0-14 & 15+). The two divisions aren't equal, I'd say 2/3rds are 0-14.

This year I've won £11 & £12 for 2's in the equal payout, and a miserly £5.67 & £3.85 for 2's in the 0-14.(The higher division has been known to roll over and hit £100 for a 2).
You need to choose which week to have a 2 wisely. £3.85 for a 2 is scandalous.

 

[IanM]

Roll over? Wow... not sure that's ever happened at our place

 

[Swango1980]

Roll over? Wow... not sure that's ever happened at our place

At my old club, if nobody won it, I think all the money went to the captain's charity. However, I cannot remember a time when there was not at least one 2. There were 4 par 3's, 3 of which were 100-120 yards long.

At my new club, 2's winners get golf balls from the pro shop, the value of which depends on the number of 2's

 

[CountLippe]

Roll over? Wow... not sure that's ever happened at our place

I suppose our par 3's are quite hard, and most the higher handicappers will be hitting timber into all of them. I've had a look at the 2's report for the last comp and highest handicap was 18. Most were bunched around the 10-13 handicap mark. There's an obvious pinch point in handicap whereby you don't hit the green. It looks like a fair split from that point of view.

 

[nickjdavis]

At my old club, if nobody won it, I think all the money went to the captain's charity. However, I cannot remember a time when there was not at least one 2. There were 4 par 3's, 3 of which were 100-120 yards long.

At my new club, 2's winners get golf balls from the pro shop, the value of which depends on the number of 2's

Do you then get a choice of which balls you get based on the value limitation...or does he just dish out something that he has got an excess of?

 

[Swango1980]

Do you then get a choice of which balls you get based on the value limitation...or does he just dish out something that he has got an excess of?

From what I am told, you get to pick your ball. I believe it'll be something like "you can have 3 ProVs, 6 Srixon Distance or 50 Commandos

I'll find out tonight when I go up. Played my first comp last weekend, and got a 2 myself

 

[nickjdavis]

From what I am told, you get to pick your ball. I believe it'll be something like "you can have 3 ProVs, 6 Srixon Distance or 50 Commandos

I'll find out tonight when I go up. Played my first comp last weekend, and got a 2 myself

That'll be the Commandos then!!!

 

[Mandofred]

Did I read right that some clubs have different divisions for the two's pot?
I've never heard that before.
What next, different divisions for longest drive?
Different divisions for a scratch cup?
Different divisions for nearest the pin?

Why have different divisions at all for anything? Let all the crappy golfers die a horrible death beaten to mush by the awesome power of the low handicappers!!!

I was joking......golfers get too upset about things.

 

[Mandofred]

That'll be the Commandos then!!!

I occasionally find one of these in my shag bag after picking up balls on the field after hitting. I still wonder where they come from. Where the heck do people even buy them? Any ball I find that has all the dimples in straight lines I try to avoid like the plague. I wonder what a box (do they have boxes??) of Commando's cost?

 

[Beedee]

From what I am told, you get to pick your ball. I believe it'll be something like "you can have 3 ProVs, 6 Srixon Distance or 50 Commandos

I'll find out tonight when I go up. Played my first comp last weekend, and got a 2 myself

At the first club I joined they paid out a sleeve of balls per 2 as the 2's prize. I stopped entering it when I finally got a 2 and was given a sleeve of Warbirds since I was a high handicapper. The low handicaps were given a sleeve of Pro V1s.